QC gov’t says robbery incidents circulating online are fake

MANILA, Philippines — The Quezon City government has debunked the posts circulating online about robbery incidents among establishments in the area.

According to the local government unit, the online posts alleging that armed men stole huge amounts of money as well as accessories and gadgets from establishment owners and customers are not true.

“Ang mga post na ito’y pawang fake news na ang tanging layunin ay maghasik ng takot sa QCitizens at sirain ang imahe ng ating lungsod,” said Mayor Joy Belmonte in a statement on Friday.

(These posts are fake news that only aims to cause fear among Quezon City citizens and malign the image of our city.)

Belmonte added that the Quezon City Police District (QCPD) has already made an investigation into the matter.

The police district then said that the messages are certainly not factual and have been circulating over the years.

The following messages are false information:

• Namiya Izakaya in Scout Tobias, Quezon City was robbed of a total of P100,000, jewelry, and cell phones
• Banawe Starbucks in Brgy. Lourdes, Quezon City was robbed at night in just one minute
• Shangri-La Chinese Seafood Cuisine customers in No. 3 Times Street, West Triangle (now replaced by Peng Lai Restaurant) were robbed of a total of P250,000, along with cell phones and bags

“Further investigation reveals that these messages were also circulating on social media platforms in previous years, but there was no concrete evidence to suggest that these alleged robbery incidents occurred as described,” QCPD Director PBGen. Redrico Maranan said.

The Quezon City government and the QCPD urged the public to be cautious in believing information circulating online and to verify things first before spreading them.

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